I want to…..I think?

Maybe it’s more critical like kicking a smoking habit. But what holds us back on actually following through on our intentions? I’ll bet ideas around your best laid plans are coming to mind as we speak.

I call this the difference between wanting to do something, and actually doing it. I lovingly describe it as having the “WANT to WANT to” instead of the actual “WANT to”.

The “Want To Want To” is knowing there’s something we could or should be doing, but we never actually follow through on it. There is value in our idea, our intention, or the habit we want to change, but we just don’t follow through. Oftentimes we rationalize our lack of movement with justifications like, “I’m tired today,” “I’ll start next week,” “It’s too hard, so I guess it’s not that big of a deal.” But the thoughts keep returning. Other times we get started towards a goal, only to fizzle out before we complete the process.

For those of us that have the “Want to Want to”, but can’t seem to get the motivation to follow through, coaching may help. A good coach can help prioritize goals by asking questions that you may not have been able to think of on your own. Your coach can help you think through your “WANT to WANT to” and possibly move it to the “WANT to” (doing) stage. Other times a coach can help you realize that the desire really isn’t there, and it’s not important in the first place. And that’s ok!

The most powerful results take place when we begin to close the knowing-doing gap. Once we move from knowing to doing, a coach can help breakdown the process into smaller steps that are easier to achieve. Our brains like the feeling of accomplishment, and small successful steps that we celebrate along the way may help us keep our “WANT to”!

The next time you begin thinking about what you want to accomplish stop and ask yourself “Do I WANT to do this?” Or do I just “WANT to WANT to do this?” Your coach may help you decide!